Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (32 page)

Amanda reached forward with her hand to caress
Kellan’s face. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes.

“I hate that you’re here like this. If only I had
looked at both sides of the road more carefully…”

“Shh. This isn’t your fault. Don’t…beat yourself up
about it. Besides, I…it’s my duty to protect you.”

Amanda sobbed. She moved forward and embraced Kellan
on the bed as best as she could, without hurting him. Amanda rested her head on
his chest.

“I’m not sure where to get the strength to hold on
anymore. I lost my job, I lost
both
of the loves of my life, and now
I’ve lost you too.”

“Don’t say that, Amanda. I’m here. I’ll always be.”

Amanda looked up, wiping some of her tears.

“I’m moving you.”

Kellan did his best attempt at a confused look.

“What?”

“You need to get the best treatment if you’re to get
back on your feet soon. I’ll have you transferred to the best hospital in the
country.”

“Amanda, thanks for the thought, but that won’t be
necessary.”

“No buts, Kellan. I should have done this sooner. It’s
just…I’ve had better days.”

“I can’t repay you for taking me to another hospital,”
Kellan argued. “My family is already taking care of the costs here.”

“I want to do it, Kellan. Just let me.”

Amanda moved closer to Kellan and kissed him in the
cheek.

“It will be the least I can do for everything that
you’ve done for me. You’ve gone above the call of duty to protect my
well-being.”

Kellan chuckled.

“Bodyguards aren’t supposed to become attached to
their charges. Despite that, you’ve grown on me, Amanda. You’re hard not to
love.”

Amanda bit her lip.

“People used to tell me that all the time.”

“It’s true. If there’s a person I would be proud to
die for, it would be you.”

Amanda closed her eyes, shaking her head.

“Don’t say that, Kellan. You can’t die for me. I don’t
want anyone to.”

“It’s not because I put you in a pedestal, Amanda.
You’re just so precious. If given the chance, you could brighten this world.
Heck, you probably already did. All it takes is to see your photos to brighten
anyone’s day. Your smile alone is infectious.”

Amanda tried to control her breathing. Few people had
ever said anything so beautiful to her.

“Thanks, Kellan. You’re awesome.”

“You are, too.”

Amanda laughed. She wiped more of her tears, wanting
to put away her sadness.

“Let’s talk business now. I want to know what I’ve
missed while I was out. Have they caught the driver? Are things with you and
Nathan the same?”

Sighing, Amanda thought
of where to begin. She told Kellan all that had happened in the past several
days.

Waking up felt hard to do for Nathan lately. For the
first time in months, he thought that his dreams were better than reality. When
he slept, Nathan could dream about Amanda. He could pretend that they were
still together.

Those were the only parts of the day Nathan allowed
himself to think about her. He put all his focus on school and work. Nathan
feared that if he didn’t keep his mind busy, he would snap.

That day, Nathan avoided his friends during their
break between classes. He wasn’t shunning them, he just didn’t want them to see
him so let down. Nathan knew it would be hard to feel better without Amanda.

All I need is a distraction. Maybe it could help.

Standing against his locker, Nathan pulled out his
smartphone. He scrolled through his list of contacts, pausing on Kayla’s entry.
After giving it some thought, Nathan decided not to give her hopes. Kayla had
to move on. It would be great if she’d found a new guy already.

Nathan scrolled backward a few times, finding Erika’s
entry. He wanted to call her, if only to talk. He wasn’t exactly fond of Erika,
although she was likable.

Just as Nathan was about to dial Erika, he looked up.
There was a girl about to walk past him. She looked familiar. Nathan racked his
brain, until he was able to place where he’d seen her before.

“Lori,” Nathan said, advancing toward the girl. She
stopped and looked at him.

“I know you,” Lori said, holding up her index finger.
“You’re the guy from the club! Nathan.”

“Yep.”

“As I recall, you had a girlfriend.”

Nathan nodded.

“I did use to have a girlfriend, but it wasn’t that
one. Erika’s just…an acquaintance.”

“She seemed quite territorial.”

“Erika’s known to have an obsessive streak. It happens
to her with handsome guys.”

Lori smirked.

“You’re showing off, right?”

Nathan curved an eyebrow, and then laughed.

“No, not at all. I’d just wondered if you’d like to go
for a cup of coffee with me. I could use some company.”

“That would be welcome.”

Lori and Nathan walked out of the building together.
They let each other know that their classes had already ended. Nathan looked
around.

“Better hurry up before she spots us. I’d hate to
embarrass you again.”

“Don’t worry.”

Nathan led Lori to his car. He opened the passenger
door for her.

“Thanks,” she said.

During the drive to a nearby café, Nathan and Lori did
some small talk. He found out that she was a sophomore. Lori turned out to have
lots of friends. She liked being popular. What Lori didn’t have in beauty, she made
up for in charisma.

At the café, Lori said she didn’t want coffee. She didn’t
like it much, except for decaf. Nathan ordered hot chocolate for both of them
instead, and some vanilla wafer cookies.

“So, how have you been?” Lori asked. She was holding a
wafer cookie in one hand.

“I’ve been doing fine. Lots of work, and then school
stuff, you know. I felt like a change of environment. Too much time indoors can
make you crazy.”

“I know! I was like that in my first year. Didn’t have
a car, so I was stuck in my dorm. Unless my roommate took me along, of course.
Now I can go anywhere I want.”

“So, you have lots of friends?” Nathan asked.

“Yes. A few of them are my high school buddies. Most
of the others are people I’ve met so far. I like meeting new faces. It’s not
uncommon for me to talk the ears off someone. I’m just outgoing that way.”

“I didn’t notice much of that at the club.”

“Well, your
acquaintance
shooed me away.”

“Ha. That won’t happen again.”

Lori finished her second wafer cookie. Nathan watched
as she drank some more of her chocolate. She put the cup down and then licked
her lips. Nathan had a vision of Amanda doing just the same, several weeks ago.
He’d made her a special hot chocolate recipe passed down by his mother.

“Are you okay, Nathan?” Lori asked. He blinked once,
looking at her.

“Yeah, I’m good. I was just…spaced out.”

They talked some more as they ate. Nathan admired Lori
when she wasn’t watching him. She reminded him of his second girlfriend, the
one he’d dated before Kayla. Nathan had purposely avoided blondes or
light-skinned girls because they reminded him of Amanda. The second girl he
dated had had brown skin. She was attractive. Lori’s skin wasn’t as dark, and
not as attractive. Still, Nathan might consider dating her if his heart was
still his to give away.

“You’re hurting about a girl, right?”

Nathan did a double take.

“What? No. It’s not that. I’m fine, really.”

Lori seemed unconvinced, but she didn’t pry. When they
finished, Nathan offered to take Lori back to where she was staying.

“I’d rather spend some more time with you, if you
don’t mind.”

“In my apartment?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong? Too untidy?”

Nathan chuckled.

“No.”

“If you’ve got underwear all over your room, then we
can go to my place. Do you mind?”

Nathan hesitated for a moment. They stopped just next
to his car.

“Just for a little bit?”

“Okay. Give me your address.”

It turned out that Lori lived in the same apartment
building as Claire. Nathan hoped that the latter wasn’t there. She would think
the wrong thing.

Outside Lori’s apartment, she unlocked the door.
Nathan was about to follow her inside, but she turned around. Lori surprised
Nathan by placing her arms around him. His expression became puzzled.

“What are you doing, Lori?”

“I know what you need,” she said, looking down at his
lips. “And I can give it to you.”

Nathan didn’t know what Lori was talking about. He
tried to push her off him.

“I don’t know what you think I came here for, but you’re
wrong.”

“Shush. You thought I didn’t notice that you fancy me?
I would have enjoyed dancing with you when we met at the club. Maybe we’ll do
it sometime.”

“You’re getting carried away.”

“No. I like you too, Nathan. Don’t worry, though. I’m
not into relationships.”

Right then, it dawned on Nathan.

“You’re a, um, addicted to…”

Lori smiled.

“Not exactly, but close.”

Before Nathan could reply, Lori kissed him. He felt
her pushing both of them inside her apartment. She closed the door and led
Nathan toward the sofa.

“Wait,” Nathan said, breaking the kiss. “You’re taking
this completely the wrong way. I like you, yes. I just can’t betray my
girlfriend.”

Lori started to look pissed.

“I thought you said you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“I…uh…it’s complicated.”

Lori turned around, thinking over it.

“I’m sorry. This can’t happen, Lori.”

Nathan started backing toward the door. Lori didn’t
look at him. His hand grasped the door handle. He looked back at Lori. She
looked back to him. Amazingly, she wasn’t crying. Nathan was glad that she
didn’t seem as tightly attached as Erika.

“Thanks for the coffee, Nathan. I…I hope things turn
out all right for you.”

Nathan nodded.

“I don’t blame you for keeping distance. Now, I sort
of wish I were like you. When you get hurt in a relationship, it’s hell.”

Lori grimaced in understanding.

“That’s why I don’t fall in love. It’s safer to just
be friends…with benefits, you know.”

Nathan turned slightly red.

“Have a good day.”

“Thanks, Lori. You
too,” Nathan said. He then left the apartment with a renewed sense of loyalty
for Amanda. Nathan loved her too much. He had to keep fighting until there was
no point to it anymore.

It was dark outside already. Amanda wondered where all
her time had gone to. She felt tired, although happy. She really enjoyed her
new job. Amanda did miss modeling, although she could do without it.

Amanda checked the time on her phone. Her shift was
about to end. She looked around to make sure there weren’t any customers
waiting for her help. Then Amanda went to let her coworkers know she was
leaving.

Almost ten minutes later, Amanda walked toward the
entrance. There were still a bunch of customers around. Amanda put on her
jacket. Just then, she heard a voice behind her.

“You do look gorgeous in that uniform.”

Amanda froze. She felt Nathan standing so close behind
her. Amanda didn’t want to turn.

“What do you want?” she asked to buy time. “You know I’m
still mad at you.”

“Say that to my face. Let me see your eyes while you
say that to me. Otherwise, you’re not telling the truth.”

Amanda slowly turned around. For a moment, she almost
didn’t recognize Nathan. He was wearing a sports jacket and a baseball cap.
Nathan was probably incognito to avoid the bodyguards.

“Why are you here?”

“First, I want to ask you to give me—no, give
us
—another
chance. What we have is too special to let it die away. I love you.”

“Maybe you should think of that before you go and kiss
other women.”

“You think I did it on purpose? I would never cheat on
the most achingly beautiful woman I know.”

Amanda’s cheeks reddened. She wasn’t able to hide her
smile.

“It hurt, you know. Seeing you with another woman.”

“I know what it feels like. Remember that you let
Christopher kiss you.”

At the mention of that, Amanda blanched. She opened
her mouth in horror.

“How did you know…?”

“Your parents didn’t lie to you. I
was
going to
see you at your place that day. I showed up, only to see you and Christopher
enjoying yourselves on the porch. When you kissed him, I couldn’t watch more,
so I left.”

“That was a mistake I should never have allowed. I
don’t want to hurt you, or Judith.”

Nathan placed his hands inside his jacket pockets.

“Let’s take this to another place for now, okay? I’d
rather not get thrown away by your guards.”

Nathan took Amanda’s hand and led her toward the back.
They left through one of the rear exits. Before moving forward, Nathan looked
around. He put his baseball cap on Amanda’s head. She was still too stunned to
protest. Nathan led her to his car.

“You can’t tell anyone about it,” Amanda said as soon
as Nathan sat down on the driver’s side. “About me and Christopher, I mean. If
Judith found out, I shudder to think what she would do.”

“No problem. We’ll keep it to ourselves.”

“It wasn’t intentional. He just…kissed me. I didn’t
expect him, nor did I ask him to. You have no idea how guilty I’ve been feeling
since then. I’ve had a hard time looking at Judith in the eye for a few days
after that. She means a lot to me.”

“I would say the same about you. Amanda, you mean the
world to me.”

Amanda turned toward Nathan. They looked at each other
for a few moments, longing for the other’s touch. Nathan’s gaze moved down to
her lips.

“Let’s forget everything. Give me a chance. I can’t be
without you.”

Amanda looked down, biting her lip.

“I trust you, Nathan. I should never have shut you out
for so long. Please forgive me.”

“I have nothing to forgive. The evidence against me
was overwhelming.”

“Just don’t do it again.”

“I promise that, baby.”

Nathan slowly moved toward Amanda. She froze, not sure
whether to turn away or meet him. She decided to close her eyes. Nathan touched
his lips to hers. Amanda gasped, but didn’t pull away. Her lips moved against
his. Nathan reached forward, touching the side of her face. He pulled Amanda to
him and kissed her.

Nathan’s hands moved down Amanda’s body, remembering
familiar places. He caressed her thigh.

“Let’s go back to my apartment,” Nathan said. He
started to plant kisses along Amanda’s cheeks and jaw. “Ditch your bodyguards.”

“We’ll piss them off.”

Nathan guffawed.

“So what?”

Amanda closed her eyes, letting herself feel what
Nathan was doing to her. She started to wonder if it had been a mistake to be
angry with him for so long.

Nathan pulled Amanda’s jacket off of her. He found
that she had a long-sleeve sweater and an undershirt.

“Wait, Nathan,” Amanda said, pushing forward on his
chest. “Not here. I…”

Nathan waited for Amanda to continue.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need some time to think. Let me go back to my
apartment. I have to think things through.”

“What’s there to think about? We’re in love, and we
sorely missed each other. Let’s just give in.”

Amanda sighed, looking around.

“Let’s just go, all right? If you’re really stealing
me from my bodyguards, you should know that they may be here any moment.”

Nathan looked through the front, scanning the back of
the Best Buy.

“You’re right. I’d rather not have Caldwell drag me
out through my broken window.”

Amanda burst out laughing. Nathan revved the engine.
He drove away from the building.

“I didn’t think you’d steal me for real.”

Nathan looked at Amanda curiously.

“For you, I would do anything.”

Amanda thought for a moment.

“Would you let Erika go?”

Nathan scoffed.

“Please! Not to be mean, but I could live without her
without thinking twice. You, in contrast, are necessary to me.”

Amanda looked at Nathan.

“Just don’t hurt me again. Okay?”

“I’ll try my darned
best. You’re meant to be loved, sweetheart. I won’t disappoint you again.”

***

Hilbert watched as Nathan led Amanda toward the
parking lot. The two got inside a car, but didn’t leave. That angered Hilbert.
He wasn’t pleased to see that Amanda was still dating that poor devil.

Five minutes passed before Nathan revved the engine.
Hilbert decided to follow them. He knew that they still lived in the same
apartment building. Hilbert didn’t need to keep them in sight, but he wanted
to. He wanted to get Amanda back.

At least Rebecca is right about one thing. Amanda
deserves to marry a prince, not some penniless guy below her level.

It was because of Amanda that Hilbert stopped having
sex with other models. She was the one he’d been looking for. The woman that
eclipsed all others. Contrary to popular opinion, Hilbert didn’t screw the
models out of malice. He just wanted to find Ms. Right. Only highly beautiful
women were able to spark his interest.

The drive wasn’t long. Hilbert saw Nathan’s car arrive
at the apartments. Hilbert stayed a safe distance back. He was glad that the
bodyguards were away, at least for the moment. Hilbert found a spot that
overlooked Amanda’s apartment. He shut off his engine and waited there.

Amanda and Nathan walked into his line of sight a
couple of minutes later. Hilbert saw Amanda pull out her key to open her door.
It opened before she could unlock it. A short girl with pearly brown skin
greeted them.

That must be Emmy Crenshaw.

Hilbert remembered her from the news. She was the girl
that Rebecca’s minion stabbed while trying to abduct Amanda. Emmy seemed to be
all right now.

The three of them
disappeared into the apartment. He rubbed his chin. Seeing Amanda made him
remember every moment they’d shared. Hilbert would show her that he wasn’t the
petty criminal she thought he was. He was just an unlucky guy turned social
climber in his search for the right woman.

At close to midnight, Christopher woke to loud
pounding on a door. He stirred in bed, looking up to find where the noise was
coming from. He realized that there was someone outside his apartment.
Christopher got up from bed. Putting on some shoes, he went to the living room.

“Coming!” said Christopher. He wondered who was coming
to see him at such a late hour. When he opened the door, a fuming Rebecca was
standing outside.

“Sister! Come in.”

Rebecca walked in with her arms crossed. Christopher
closed the door, puzzled at her behavior.

“Where have you been? Romantic troubles?”

Rebecca did not find that funny.

“How are things going with you and Amanda?”

Christopher’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean? They’re fabulous.”

“Fabulous? Nathan just spent some time with Amanda a
few moments ago. You were meant to keep them apart.”

“You’re bluffing, right? Thanks to your machinations,
they hardly look at each other anymore.”

Rebecca shook her head. She walked forward and sat
down on Christopher’s couch.

“Nathan was able to sneak past Amanda’s bodyguards
tonight. It was lucky that I found out, because I was watching her. They
reconciled and then Nathan took her back to her apartment. I thought they would
go inside and do…it. Thankfully, they didn’t.”

“So, what’s the problem? Amanda and I are great
friends now. We undermined her trust in Nathan.”

“I didn’t ask you to be her friend. You should be
seducing her!”

Christopher clicked his tongue.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, sis. Amanda
is stupendously dazzling, don’t get me wrong. She’s just not the girl for me.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened.

“What are you saying?”

“I didn’t fall for Amanda, like you were hoping. I’m a
little bummed, I admit.”

“Christopher, you’ve met Amanda Tilley, haven’t you? A
guy like you would have fallen in love at first sight.”

“Yeah, I thought it would work that way too. Only, you
don’t fall for someone just because they’re spellbinding. I’ve fallen for
Judith instead.”

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca stood up.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Christopher. Since when
have you failed to seduce a woman?”

“It wasn’t a failure if I didn’t set my sights on
Amanda in the first place. We can both thank her for pushing me toward Judith.”

“Argh,” Rebecca groaned, turning around.

“Why do you hate Amanda so much? You never told me
anything. At first, I thought you just wanted her boyfriend, but now I see it’s
much more than that.”

“That’s my business. Just go seduce Amanda and don’t
ask questions.”

“No, sister. I want answers. Why are the police
looking for you?”

Rebecca’s head whipped toward Christopher. She looked
wide-eyed at him.

“What are you saying?”

“They have a sketch. Amanda showed it to me. The woman
in it looked an awful lot like you. She even had your sunglasses and that head
covering of yours.”

“Shit!” said Rebecca, tensing up. “Why hadn’t you told
me?”

“You’ve been so busy doing God-knows-what that you
haven’t stopped for a visit.”

“Then you should have called me! Don’t you think it’s
your duty to protect your sister?”

Christopher narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“So, you’re saying the woman in the sketch
is
you?”

“No, Chris, don’t put words in my mouth. There’s no
reason why the police would be looking for me. I’m not the woman in the sketch,
even if it looks like me.”

“I hope so, Rebecca. I really do.”

Rebecca took a deep breath, visibly relaxing.

“Just seduce Amanda. It’s not like I’m asking you to
do something unpleasant. Any other guy would kill to be in your shoes.”

Christopher laughed.

“Forgive me, sis, but I can’t do it. I want Judith and
I’m not going to risk breaking her trust. The poor girl has suffered enough as
it is.”

“I don’t give a damn about her. You owe me—and my
family—big time. Seduce Amanda, or I will leave you on the street where we
found you.”

Christopher kicked the sofa, groaning.

“You can’t kick me out.”

“I can do anything I
set my mind to,” Rebecca told him. With a last withering look, she turned and left
the apartment. Christopher sat back on his sofa, sighing.

The next morning, Amanda finally woke up feeling well.
She’d had time to think over things. Amanda couldn’t stay mad at Nathan any
longer. She despised seeing him kiss another woman, but he’d never given her
any reason to mistrust him before. Even with all the guys who hit on Amanda,
Nathan remained devoted to her.